POTTERY

Tender’s pots are thrown by hand in a one-man pottery from naturally coloured red and white clays, dug in England. Coloured metal salt glazes seal the sides and interior, but the base is left unslipped and unglazed to expose the original character of the clay.

Once the piece is thrown and cut off the wheel, the potter presses a fired clay ‘sprig’ of the Tender Plautus face into the base and rubs white clay slip into the impression. This is then scraped down, slightly distorting the Tender face in a different manner on every piece.

Handles are hung by hand, and the soft ridges which make the mug especially comfortable to hold are in fact the marks left as the soft clay is squeezed between the potter’s fingers.